Emirati art on display at UAE’s Maraya Centre
SHARJAH: Maraya Art Centre has selected a group of works from the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF) Art Collection drawn together under the title ‘Place and Unity’. With an emphasis on Emirati practice, the ADMAF Art Collection is composed of over 80 works that are reflective of artists in the UAE and the Arab world with the goal of engaging, educating and informing the public about the region’s art scene. Place and Unity highlights works by 14 Emirati and UAE based artists, including a striking new commission, Foresta Sommersa by Rand Abdul Jabbar, who was selected to participate in the ADMAF Artist Mentorship Programme in the spring of 2016 with leading Italian artist Fabrizio Plessi. The exhibition runs from Oct. 31, 2016 — Jan. 31, 2017 at Maraya Art Centre.
In these selected works, the inter-generational artists address themes of home, identity, communication and nomadism by referencing various countries and cities from the UAE and Palestine to Geneva and Shanghai. They examine what unites people of different ethnic backgrounds living in the UAE today. The nomadic Bedouin, native to this region, offer a cultural backdrop to this exhibition. They have survived inhospitable terrains for centuries and established a code of hospitality to travelers. Place and Unity confronts questions about culture, identity and the sense of belonging to a land, be it spiritual, physical or philosophical.
‘Countless artists have used their work to express and question ideas about home, identity and commonality between peoples. We are so pleased to have collaborated with ADMAF on the important occasion of this exhibition that showcases selected works by Emirati and UAE-based artists which emphasize the intensely personal and timeless concepts of identity and connection to a land.’ says Giuseppe Moscatello, Director of Maraya Art Centre. ‘We are committed to supporting and advancing local and UAE-based artists and designers as well as collaborating with organizations such as ADMAF. We consider this approach key in cementing Maraya Art Centre as a regional art hub’.
The works on display include Shanghai from 2008 by the late, much mourned and highly respected Emirati master Hassan Sharif. A new commission, Foresta Sommersa by Rand Abdul Jabbar, is on display for the first time at Maraya Art Centre as part of Place and Unity.